On the Establishment of the U.S.S.R.

Written:Written September 26, 1922Published:First published in 1959 inLenin Miscellany XXXVI.

      Printed from the manuscript.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1971,

      Moscow,Volume 42,

      pages421b-423a.Translated:Bernard IsaacsTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2004).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Letter to L. B. Kamenev
for Members of the Politbureau[1]

ComradeKamenev, Stalin has probably already sent you the
resolution of his commission on the entry of the independent republics into
the R.S.F.S.R.

Ifhe has not, please take it from the secretary at once, and read
it. I spoke about it with Sokolnikov yesterday, and with Stalin
today. Tomorrow I shall see Mdivani (the Georgian Communist suspected of
“independent” sentiments).

Inmy opinion the matter is of utmost importance. Stalin tends to be
somewhat hasty. Give the matter good thought (you once intended to deal
with it, and even had a bit to do with it); Zinoviev too.

Stalinhas already consented to make one concession:

in Clause 1, instead of “entry” into the R.S.F.S.R., to put:

"Formalunification with the R.S.F.S.R. in a Union of Soviet
   Republics of Europe and Asia."

"Formalunification with the R.S.F.S.R. in a Union of Soviet
   Republics of Europe and Asia."

Ihope the purport of this concession is clear: we consider ourselves,
the Ukrainian S.S.R. and others, equal, and enter with them, on an equal
basis, into a new union, a newfederation, the Union of the Soviet Republics of Europe and Asia.

Clause2 needs to be amended as well. What is needed besides the
sessions of the All-Russia Central Executive Committee of the R.S.F.S.R. is
a

“FederalAll-Union Central Executive Committee of the Union of the
Soviet Republics of Europe and Asia.”

Ifthe former should hold sessions once a week, and the latter once a
week (or once a fortnight even), this may be easily arranged.

Theimportant thing is not to provide material for the
“pro-independence” people, not to destroy theirindependence,
but to create anothernew storey, a federation ofequalrepublics.

Thesecond part of Clause 2 could stand: the dissatisfied will appeal
(against decisions of theCouncil of Labour and Defence, and theCouncil of People’s Commissars) to the Federal All-Union Central
Executive Committee,without thereby suspendingimplementation
(just as in the R.S.F.S.R.).

Clause3 could stand, but its wording should be: “amalgamate infederalPeople’s Commissariats whose seat shall be in Moscow, with
the proviso that the respective People’s Commissariats of the
R.S.F.S.R. have their authorised representatives with a small staff in all
the Republicsthat have joined the Union of Republics of Europe and
Asia.”

Part2 of Clause 3 remains; perhaps it could be said to emphasise
equality: “by agreement of theCentral Executive Committeesof
the member republics of the Union of the Soviet Republics of Europe and
Asia.”

Let’sthink about Part 3: perhaps we had better substitute
“mandatory” for “desirable”? Or perhaps insertconditionallymandatory at least in the form of arequest for
instructionsand the authority to decide without such instructions
solely in cases of “specially urgent importance”?

Clause4 could perhaps also be “amalgamate by agreement of the Central
Executive Committees”?

Perhapsadd to Clause 5: “with the establishment of joint (or general)
conferences and congresses of apurely consultativenature (or perhaps
of asolelyconsultative nature)?

Appropriatealterations in the 1st and 2nd comments.

Stalinhas agreed to delay submission of the resolution to the
Political Bureau of the Central Committee until my return. I shall arrive
on Monday, October 2. I should like to see you and Rykov for about two
hours in the morning, say 12 noon to 2 p.m., and, if necessary, in the
evening, say 5-7 or 6-8.

Thatis my tentative draft. I shall add or amend on the strength of
talks with Mdivani and other comrades. I beg you to do the same, and to
reply to me.

P.S. Send copies toallmembers of the Political Bureau.

[1]OnAugust 10, 1922, the Politbureau directed the Orgbureau to set up a
commission to go into the question of relations between the R.S. F.S.R. and
the independent national Soviet Republics in preparation for the next
plenary meeting of the Party’s Central Committee. This commission, set up
on August 11, consisted of J. V. Stalin, V. V. Kuibyshev,
G. K. Orjonikidze, K. G. Rakovsky, G. Y. Sokolnikov and representatives of
the national republics—S. A. Agamali-ogly (Azerbaijan), A. F. Myasnikov
(Armenia), P. G. Mdivani (Georgia), G. I. Petrovsky (Ukraine),
A. G. Chervyakov (Byelorussia) and others.

Stalindrafted the commission’s resolution “On the Relations Between
the R.S. F.S.R. and the Independent Republics”, which provided for the
Ukraine, Byelorussia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia entering the Russian
Federation as autonomous republics. Stalin’s draft was forwarded for
discussion to the Central Committees of the Communist Parties of the Soviet
national republics. It was supported by the Central Committees of the
Communist Parties of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The C.C. of the Georgian
Communist Party was against the draft resolution. At its meeting on
September 15, 1922, it passed the following decision by a majority vote:

“The union in the form of autonomisation of the independent republics
proposed on the basis of Stalin’s theses is premature. A union of economic
efforts and a common policy are necessary, but all attributes of
independence should be preserved.” The C.C. of the Byelorussian Communist
Party went on record for the preservation of treaty relations between the
independent republics. The C.C. of the Ukrainian C.P. did not discuss the
draft.

Thecommission met on September 23 and 24, 1922, with V. M. Molotov in
the chair. It approved Stalin’s draft (with one abstention—the
representative from Georgia). In a special point the commission rejected
the resolution of the C.C. of the Georgian Communist Party. Stalin’s draft
was gone over point by point and approved by a majority with certain minor
amendments and addenda. Point 2 stating that the decisions of the
All-Russia Central Executive Committee, the Council of People’s Commissars
and the Council of Labour and Defence of the R.S.F.S.R. were binding upon
the corresponding bodies of the national republics was carried by an 8 to 1
majority (Mdivani voting against and Petrovsky abstaining).

Thefinal wording of the commission’s resolution, which Lenin deals
with in his letter to the members of the Politbureau, was as follows:

“1.Itis considered advisable that treaties be concluded between the
Soviet Republics of the Ukraine, Byelorussia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia
and the R.S.F.S.R. for their formal entryinto the R.S.F.S.R., the question of Bokhara, Kharezm and the Far-Eastern
Republic being left open and confined to agreements with them on customs
arrangements, foreign trade, foreign and military affairs, and so on.

“Note:Corresponding changes in the constitutions of the Republics
mentioned in Point 1 and of the R.S.F.S.R. to be made after enactment by
Soviet procedure.

“2.Inaccordance with this the decisions of the All-Russia Central
Executive Committee of the R.S.F.S.R. shall be considered binding upon the
central bodies of the republics mentioned in Point 1, while the decisions
of the Council of People’s Commissars and the Council of Labour and Defence
of the R.S.F.S.R. shall be binding upon the unified commissariats of these
republics.

“Note:These republics are to be represented on the Presidium of the
All-Russia C.E.C. of the R.S.F.S.R.

“3.Externalaffairs (foreign affairs and foreign trade), military affairs,
ways of communication (with the exception of local transport) and Potel (the
People’s Commissariat for Post and Telegraph—Ed.) of the republics
mentioned in Point 1 shall be merged with those of the R.S.F.S.R., the
corresponding commissariats of the R.S.F.S.R. having their agents and a small
staff in the republics.

“Theagents are appointed by the People’s Commissars of the
R.S. F.S.R. by arrangement with the Central Executive Commit tees of the
republics.

“Itis considered advisable that the republics concerned be represented on
the corresponding foreign agencies of the People’s Commissariat for
Foreign Affairs and the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade.

“4.TheCommissariats for Finance, Food, Labour and National Economy of the
republics shall be formally subject to the directives of the corresponding
R.S. F.S.R. commissariats.

“5.Theremaining commissariats of the republics mentioned in Point 1,
namely, the Commissariats for Justice, Education, Internal Affairs, Agriculture,
Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection, Public Health and Social Security, shall be
considered independent.

“Note1: The agencies fighting counter-revolution in the aforementioned
republics shall be subject to the directives of the G.P.U. of the R.S.F.S.R.

“Note2: The Central Executive Committees of the republics shall be granted
the right of amnesty only in civil cases.

“6.Thisdecision, if approved by the C.C. of the R.C.P., shall not be
published, but shall be passed on to the national Central Committees as a
circular directive to be enacted through the Central Executive Committee or the
Congress of Soviets of the aforementioned republics pending the convocation of
an All Russia Congress of Soviets, at which it is to be declared as the desire
of these republics” (Central Party Archives of the Institute of
Marxism-Leninism of the C.C., C.P.S.U.).

OnSeptember 25 the commission’s materials (Stalin’s draft, the
resolution and minutes of the commission’s meetings, and the resolutions of
the Central Committees of the Communist Parties of Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Armenia) were sent to Lenin at Gorki. Simultaneously, without waiting for
Lenin’s instructions and without the question being considered in the
Politbureau, the Secretariat of the C.C. sent the commission’s resolution
to all the members and alternate members of the C.C. in preparation for the
latter’s plenary meeting fixed for October 5.

Afterstudying the Commission’s material Lenin wrote his letter to the
members of the Politbureau which is published in this volume. The letter is
dated September 27; apparently this is a slip of the pen, since the
Registration Book of Lenin’s Letters, Notes and Instructions bears an entry
stating that this letter was forwarded to the members of the Politbureau on
September 26; moreover, Lenin’s conversation with Stalin, to which
reference is made in the letter, took place on September 26; it can be
inferred from this that Lenin’s letter was written on September 26.

Inhis letter to the members of the Politbureau Lenin came out against
Stalin’s idea of “autonomisation” of the independent national Soviet
Republics and suggested a fundamentally different way of uniting them by
creating a Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (see also Lenin’s letter
“The Question of Nationalities or ‘Autonomisation’\null”, present
edition, Vol. 36, pp. 605–11).

Inaccordance with Lenin’s proposals the resolution drafted by the
C.C.’s Commission was revised.

Thenew resolution was worded as follows:

“1.Itis considered necessary that a treaty be concluded between the
Ukraine, Byelorussia, the Federation of Transcaucasian Republics and the
R.S.F.S.R. for their amalgamation in a Union of Socialist Soviet Republics,
each reserving the right to freely secede from membership of the Union.

“2.Thesupreme body of the Union shall be the Union Central Executive
Committee consisting of representatives of the central executive committees
of the R.S.F.S.R., the Transcaucasian Federation, the Ukraine and
Byelorussia pro rata to the population they represent.

“3.Theexecutive organ of the Union C.E.C. shall be the Union Council of
People’s Commissars appointed by the Union
C.E.C.

“4.ThePeople’s Commissariats for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade,
Military Affairs, Railways and Post and Telegraph of the republics and
federations comprising the Union shall be merged with those of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics, the corresponding commissariats of the Union of
Republics having in the republics and federations their agents and a small staff
appoint ed by the People’s Commissars of the Union by arrangement with the
Central Executive Committees of the federations and republics.

“Note:It is considered necessary for the republics concerned to be
represented on the corresponding foreign agencies of thePeople’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs and the People’s Commissariat for
Foreign Trade.

“5.ThePeople’s Commissariats for Finance, Food, National Economy,
Labour and Inspection of the republics and federations comprising the Union
of Republics, also the central agencies for fighting counter-revolution
shall be subject to the directives of the corresponding People’s
Commissariats and to the decisions of the Council of People s Commissars
and the Council of Labour and Defence of the Union of Republics.

“6.Theremaining people’s commissariats comprising the Union of
Republics, namely, the Commissariats for Justice, Education, Internal
Affairs, Agriculture, Public Health and Social Security shall be considered
independent” (Central Party Archives of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism
of the C.C. of the C.P.S.U.).

OnOctober 6, 1922, the day on which the question of the relations
between the R.S. F.S.R. and the independent republics was discussed at the
plenary meeting of the C.C., Lenin, who was unable to attend the meeting,
wrote a note to Kamenev urging the need for combating dominant-nation
chauvinism and pro posing an addendum to the resolution saying that
representatives of all the uniting republics should take their turn in
presiding at the Union Central Executive Committee (seeCollected
Works, Fifth [Russian] Edition, Vol. 45, p. 214).

TheC.C. plenum fully supported Lenin, adopted a resolution in the form
of C.C. directives based on his proposals, and instruct ed a new commission
to draft a bill on the formation of the U.S.S.R. for submission to the
Congress of Soviets. The members of the C.C. in their speeches strongly
denounced all manifestations of dominant-nation chauvinism. At the same
time the plenum rebuffed Mdivani, who at first objected to the formation of
the U.S.S.R. and then insisted on Georgia joining the U.S.S.R. directly,
and not through the Transcaucasian Federation.

Guidedby Lenin’s instructions, the Central Committee of the Party
directed all the subsequent work of uniting the republics.

OnDecember 30, 1922, the First All-Union Congress of Soviets met to
form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.